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farm-to-table dishes . For breakfast , choose from items like stuffed French toast with strawberryrhubarb compote , bacon and basil or chilaquiles featuring a mouthwatering roasted tomatillo sauce , plus a variety of pastries . At lunch and dinner , choose from bone marrow flatbread , lobster esquites ( street corn ), salmon belly tartare with yuzu and serrano chiles , steaks , pasta , short rib or the signature house-roasted chicken .
EXPLORING THE AREA While the hotel affords a comfortable stay , visitors will want to step beyond those walls to take in the local culture and history that abounds here . And Las Alcobas can arrange exclusive experiences from cooking classes to after-hours museum tours , hot air balloon rides and a variety of tours . For example , guides will take you to the 8-square-mile pyramid complex of Teotihuacán , a UNESCO World Heritage site , or Coyoacán , the neighborhood where artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera lived .
In Teotihuacán , which means “ the place where the gods were created ,” stroll between the towering Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon and the Temple of Quetzalcóatl , which were built between the first and seventh centuries . Some smaller , stone structures feature painted animals and geometric designs . At its peak , this community boasted at least 25,000 inhabitants . Now , these ruins hold the secrets of this vast civilization . Archaeologists are trying to understand more about the ancient city that existed over
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1,000 years before the Aztecs arrived , and why it disappeared . Walking along the main path , it ’ s possible to feel transported , imagining what life here might have been like so many years ago . Every so often , the stillness is punctuated by vendors demonstrating whistles that replicate bird calls and jaguar growls , their sounds echoing off the stone surroundings .
On another day , venture to Coyoacán with its indoor markets selling fresh produce , spices and even edible insects as well as beautiful handmade textiles , toys and more . Food stalls offer tacos and tostadas bursting with fresh flavor . For dessert , head a block away to Lecaroz bakery to pick up a churro or pan dulce then grab a cafe de olla , coffee made with sugar and cinnamon , at Café El Jarocho , a fixture in the community since 1953 . Then enjoy a few peaceful moments in the nearby park , Plaza Jardin Hidalgo . Make sure to peek into the adjacent Parroquia San Juan Bautista Coyoacán , one of the oldest churches in Mexico City , to see the resplendent interior with gilded details , stained glass and paintings along the walls and ceiling before heading to the Frida Kahlo Museum .
The museum encompasses Casa Azul ( the Blue House ), where Kahlo grew up and later lived with her husband , Rivera , the famed muralist . The two-story home displays her paintings as well as photos , folk art , personal items and furnishings in many rooms including the area where she painted with views out to the courtyard gardens . An easel is set up with her wheelchair in front of
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it . Kahlo suffered from several health problems during her lifetime , contracting polio as a child and sustaining serious injuries in a bus crash at age 18 , requiring more than 30 surgeries through the years .
Visitors may be overcome with emotion as they stand just inches from the four-poster bed where she spent her days after the accident . Her mother attached a mirror on the canopy above so Kahlo could see herself to paint her famous self portraits . Aside from her physical
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SHARON STELLO |
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